Oldest Trick
by Kailee
Summary: [AU] [postwar] When Harry defeats Voldemort, he loses all interest in life. Can Draco find a way to unite Harry with another who can’t see that there are some things worth living for? Written for TSS Contest 5. HPLM


**_Details _Contest #5 -****Golden Staff- Challenge #4 **Draco intervenes and plays matchmaker between his friend Harry and his recently divorced father.

**_Disclaimer _**Draco, Lucius, Harry and all the rest do NOT belong to me. Unfortunately. Trust me, if they did; well, there'd be hardly any doubt as to whether or not Harry was going to survive. And copulate. And MPREG would definitely pop up more than once. And… hang on, I'll stop now otherwise I'll keep going all day.

**_Title _**Oldest Trick

**_Author _**Kailee

**_Rating _**PG - Innocent

**_Warnings _**Major (F)luff, (O)ne-shot

**_Summary _**(post-war) When Harry defeats Voldemort, he loses all interest in life. Can Draco find a way to unite Harry with another who can't see that there are some things worth living for?

LMHP

"You've got to get yourself a girl, mate," I sighed as he watched his friend mope around my room. Harry had been sulking for the past three months, and I was beginning to get sick of it. Yeah, he has every right to be mopey – he hasn't got an 'ultimate purpose' in his life anymore.

"I don't want a girl, Draco," Harry snapped. "You _know _who I want, and it isn't some soft-hearted, squishy _girl_." Indeed, I did know this. Harry had been gay since the moment I introduced him to the fashion world (or probably even before that).

"Well, you've got to get yourself someone who just wants a quickie," I said reasonably.

"Draco!" he howled. "I would _never _do something like that!"

"You are way, way too noble," I sighed. He flopped down next to me.

"I'm tired of being idolised is what I am," he said miserably. I started at the sudden change of topic.

"Oh?" was all I managed to say.

"I just want someone to want to be with me," he continued.

"Harry, there are loads of people who want to be with you," I told him. He snorted.

"No, they want to be with what they think I am. They want the scar, the fame, the money. Not me," he said wisely. I frowned.

"On a lighter note, my father is coming to visit next week," I said cheerfully, my frown melting away. I had noticed that whenever my father was around, Harry seemed to lighten up a bit.

"Really?" he asked, suddenly interested. "What does he want?"

"He and mother just divorced, and he's looking for a house in Hogsmeade – as far away from her and as close to me as he can get," I recalled his words.

"Oh, Drake. I'm sorry," Harry grimaced.

"For what?" Uh oh, my frown was back again. If I kept this up, I'd get wrinkles.

"You know, your mother and father not getting along," he sighed.

"Exactly how are you the cause of the break-up of their marriage?" I asked curiously. "Are you sleeping with my moth- my father?" I changed the playful accusation at the last minute.

Harry buried his head in a pillow on my bed. He said something, but it came out muffled. I pulled the pillow away. "Say again?"

"I wish," he mumbled. I snorted.

"You. And… and my father?" I snickered a couple of times. Harry grabbed the pillow back, his face burning. He hit me over the head with it, and I shrieked. "Not the hair!" I laughed.

"What is so weird about me wanting to be with your father? He's intelligent, cultured, powerful and not to mention sexy," Harry pouted.

"Who is?" My father asked from the doorway. I opened my mouth to tell him exactly who we had been talking about, and received a pillow in my mouth.

"Just a guy I like," Harry said nonchalantly. I pulled the pillow away and shot him a dirty look. "Evening, Lucius."

"Hey, Dad," I smiled. "Why are you here?"

"Narcissa kicked me out," he explained. I watched as he took a seat on the comfortable old armchair I had had brought from the Manor for my room, way back in first year. "I always wondered where this chair went," my father commented absently.

"Now you know," I grinned. Each of the Slytherins get their own room from the very beginning of their years at Hogwarts – it was a benefit of being in the dungeons (they stretch for miles and miles, underneath the lake and everything). I honestly didn't know why Harry was always in mine when he had his own.

Maybe it was because we had been friends ever since the day we met at Madam Malkin's, in Diagon Alley. I had been a right prat to him that day, but he still accepted me. He even found a way to be friends with me, while being friends with the Weasel (and eventually the Mudblood) at the same time.

Of course, when he got sorted into Slytherin, I thought that his relationship with Weasel, still so tentative having only been established on the train, would fizzle out. But Harry had seemed determined to be friends with everyone – one of the things that I admired in him. He had all but eliminated House rivalries over the past seven years.

"Dad, Harry and I were going to go out for dinner in Hogsmeade tonight to celebrate the end of exams," I began. "Would you like to come with us?"

I saw Harry moving behind my father and making a slashing motion across his throat at me while I said this, but ignored it. We hadn't actually agreed on going out – Harry had just wanted to get the house elves to bring something down – but if Dad accepted my offer, he wouldn't be able to weasel out of it.

"I wouldn't want to intrude," Dad said hesitantly.

"You wouldn't be," I assured him. I watched in amusement as Harry groaned silently and leaned back against the wall. Dad turned to see him, a look of concern on his face.

"Are you alright, Harry?" he asked.

"Fine, just fine," he muttered, flapping a hand at my father. "Draco, don't you dare say a word about what we were discussing before!" he hissed at me as my father left.

"Wouldn't dream of it," I replied, a plan already forming in my head. My father had been as miserable as Harry after the end of the war – his marriage to my mother had only been one of convenience, designed to produce an heir. Mother had made his life a living hell until Dad finally snapped and divorced her.

The papers had only gone through yesterday, I remembered as Harry said goodnight to me as well and went next door to his own room. Dad was officially a free man, allowed to date whoever he chose. Or whoever I chose for him.

HPLM

"Nice to see you made it, Dad," Draco greeted his father as he sat down at our table, draping his cloak over the back of his chair elegantly. Lucius smiled at both Draco and I, and picked up a menu. We were in one of the best kept secrets of Hogsmeade – a small restaurant out the back of The Three Broomsticks that catered only to certain people.

"Let's see what they've got here," Lucius muttered as he perused the menu. Both Draco and I had already made our choices, and ordered pre-dinner drinks. Butterbeer all the way for me!

"I'd advise the lasagne," I said before I could stop myself. I decided to plunge in even deeper. "It's quite good."

"You and Draco have been here before?" he asked in surprise. We nodded.

"For my birthday," Draco explained. "We got smashed afterwards," he had no shame in saying. I blushed lightly – that hadn't been one of my most glorious nights. It had been an even worse morning, with Professor Snape refusing to give both Draco and I hangover potions, saying we had to learn from our mistakes.

"I'll bet," Lucius smiled, before putting the menu down. A waiter came over with mine and Draco's drinks, and we placed our orders. "Lasagne, please," Lucius said while looking at me. A smile tugged at the corner of my lips.

"Make it two," I said.

"Fish and chips for me, thanks," Draco grinned. I shook my head at him, looking mockingly disappointed. He laughed, started a conversation on Quidditch – a passion for all three of us.

LMHP

"Best lasagne I've ever had," Harry smiled as he cleaned the last off it from his plate.

"You say that every time," Draco grinned.

"It just keeps getting better," Harry argued. Lucius just sat back and watched, silently agreeing with Harry – not even his chef could cook lasagne that well.

"I'm afraid I must be going, though. Blaise will be furious with me if I miss our date again," Draco apologised as he stood up. Harry suddenly looked panicked.

"You're leaving?" he squeaked. Lucius frowned.

"You're going on a date with Blaise? I thought…" he trailed off. Draco smirked.

"You thought that Scarhead and I were together, didn't you?" he laughed.

"I did," Lucius admitted.

"Harry, you remember what Blaise did to me last time I left him hanging? He said he'll do it even longer next time," Draco grinned.

"Ouch," Harry muttered. Lucius just shook his head.

"I don't want to know, do I?"

"No, Dad. You don't," Draco said, snickering, and collected his coat from near the door. "See you tomorrow, Harry. I'll come and find you next week, Dad – we can go house shopping then," Draco called as he left.

"So… Lucius…" Harry bit his lip.

"Harry," Lucius smirked. "We just fell for the oldest trick in the book, didn't we?" Harry looked confused for a moment before what Draco had done – left Harry and Lucius (whom Harry had a crush on) at the restaurant together. Alone. Harry grinned.

"Yep," he replied. "Do you mind?" Harry looked hesitant.

"Of course not. Why would I object to spending a little alone-time with such a gorgeous young man?" Lucius flirted slightly. Harry laughed.

"You hiding a mirror somewhere that I don't know about? 'Cos you're the only gorgeous one I see," Harry said. He clapped his hand to his mouth, eyes widening comically. "Did I just say that?" he whispered.

"You did," Lucius affirmed. Harry groaned, and slammed his head down onto the table. In a flash, Lucius was up and at his side, pulling his head up and inspecting the tiny cut on his forehead. "You want another scar on your forehead?" he asked, grinning.

"Not particularly – I only just got rid of the last one," Harry joked. "What are you doing?"

"Kissing it better," Lucius told him, and placed his lips lightly over the already closed wound. Harry stared at him with wide eyes when Lucius pulled away. "What's wrong?"

"No-one's ever done that before," Harry confessed quietly.

"Done what?" Lucius frowned, confused.

"Cared enough to be at my side the instant I got hurt," he replied almost silently. Lucius was still standing, frozen in shock. _No-one_, not even that blasted Dumbledore, had cared for this angel like he had cared for them? Surely that was a crime worthy of Azkaban.

"Harry…" Lucius knelt down so that he could look up into those beautiful green eyes. "Harry, come here. I care," he said as he hugged Harry, or tried to, but Harry pulled away.

"Please don't," Harry begged.

"Don't what?" Lucius asked.

"Care. Anyone I care about dies," he said, looking away.

"That's not true. Draco's still here, isn't he? And that Granger girl? And Blaise? Weasley? His family? Dumbledore?"

"Sirius, Remus, my parents, Terry," his first boyfriend, Lucius remembered from Draco's letters, "Professor McGonagall, Snape," Harry listed. All had been casualties of the war. Tears ran down Harry's face as he refused to look at Lucius.

"Harry, look at me," Lucius pleaded. Harry shook his head, ashamed of his emotional outburst. "Please, Harry."

"Please don't, Lucius. Don't give your heart to me and don't let me give mine to you – I'm not a good person to be in relationship with," Harry told him, and fled the restaurant. Lucius could only stare after him, tears beginning to form in his own eyes.

HPLM

"Harry, what…?" Hermione Granger watched as her friend raced past her and Ron, on the way up to the castle. His face was streaked with tears, and he was audibly sobbing.

Harry ran, and ran until he reached his room in the dungeons. Shaking hands turned the key in the lock as he spoke the password, and Harry kicked the door shut, not bothering to lock it again. He flung himself down on the bed and cried.

How could Lucius do that to him? Pretend to care like that? Harry was sure that Draco had told him of Harry's timid affections and they had concocted this stupid plan to get Harry out of the castle and vulnerable.

Harry was also sure that Lucius couldn't care for him _that _way – no-one had since Terry, and that was almost three years ago now. Draco had Blaise, Hermione had Ron, the rest of the grade paired off, and Harry was left alone. That was just the way it was.

Harry was so absorbed in his self-pity, that he didn't hear the door open and close as someone entered. When that someone pulled him up from the bed and into a standing hug, Harry tried to resist but gave in.

"You're going to have to let someone in, Harry," Lucius murmured. "You can't keep going on like this, believing that you're not worthy of love… and neither can I," he sighed.

"Lucius, I can't be with you like that," Harry was begging him to understand. Unfortunately, Lucius was just as stubborn as Harry himself, and persisted.

"Why? Why can't we at least see if this might work?" he insisted.

"Draco…" Harry tried to construct arguments.

"Draco doesn't mind – he loves you like a brother and even though it may be a little strange for him at first, he will understand," Lucius reasoned.

"Age difference," Harry pulled away, only to be pulled back into Lucius' arms.

"Doesn't matter to me; wizards live far longer than muggles, and as long as you're over the age of consent and agree to the relationship willingly, it's legal," Lucius pointed out.

"I can't be with you because I care too much!" Harry yelled, giving his final argument.

"How is it possible for you to care too much?" Lucius asked sensibly. "If you care, and I care…" he let the sentence remain unfinished.

"Lucius, please! I… I don't want to be…" Harry couldn't finish his sentence.

"Don't want to be… loved? Is that it? You're scared of falling in love and not being able to live without someone?" Lucius hit the nail on the head. Harry nodded, ashamed, and Lucius let him go. Harry sat on his bed and faced the wall.

"I'm sorry, Lucius," he apologised.

"Harry," Lucius breathed as he crawled onto Harry's bed and sat next to the Slytherin. "At least give it a try?" he implored. Harry refused to look at him, so Lucius grabbed his chin. Harry gasped at the rush of warmth that flowed through him at Lucius' touch.

"But…" he protested weakly before Lucius captured his mouth in a kiss. Harry had only been kissed this way twice before – both times with Terry. Neither of those times brought the emotions and pure _/i heat /i _that this did.

Harry moaned and opened his mouth to Lucius' questing tongue. And this was the sight that Draco walked in on. "Aw, man!" Draco cried, and backed out of the room. Lucius and Harry jumped away from each other, smiling guiltily with flushed faces and swollen lips. "Thanks, I'm going to have nightmares about that for weeks!" Draco complained as he re-entered the room. "Is it safe?"

"Draco," Harry snickered. "How did your date with Blaise go?"

"I was just popping by to tell you that I'll be in Blaise's room for the rest of the night, actually," Draco grinned, smugly. "Looks like both father and son are gonna get some," he called as he ran away from Harry's Jelly-Legs curse.

"Harry?" Lucius wrapped his rams around Harry's waist and dragged him back to the bed. Harry bit his lip as he turned around to face the man he had just kissed, the father of his best friend.

"I'll try if you will," he said softly as he straddled Lucius' lap. A huge smile broke out on the elder Malfoy's face.

"Draco may have made us fall for the oldest trick in the book, but it was a win-win situation, I guess," Lucius smiled as he lay back on Harry's double-bed.

"Father and son are gonna get some," Harry repeated Draco from earlier, causing both of them to laugh before Harry initiated a kiss.


End file.
